Harvester for picking berries: features, types and selection

Summer is the time of the year when you can salt mushrooms, make jams and preparations. For example, if you know the recipe, then you can make delicious berry jam yourself from scratch. A harvester for collecting berries will help with this. What it is for, how to choose it, and what types it is, we will consider in the article.

It is a berry picker using a small bucket (manual), a large bucket (mechanical) or a tube (vacuum). The device will help to pick a large number of berries and increase the picking speed in comparison with the conventional manual method by at least 2-3 times. As a rule, these devices are used by fishermen who sell berries and jams.

This type of tool can also be used on an industrial scale. Special berry harvesters are used on private farms and lands where berry bushes or trees are grown.

The manual berry collector consists of three main parts: a deep bucket (the deeper the better), a comb with teeth (they will catch the berries) and a handle to hold this tool. This tool looks like a small bucket case.

The teeth are on average 10-20 cm long and depend on the type of berries that you pick, because the branches of the bushes are different. The teeth are preferably made of a hard material such as iron. Plastic teeth can break if a thick branch is caught. The distance between the teeth should be between 3 and 5 mm. It is such a small gap that will not let the berries pass, but will help get rid of leaves and any debris that may be on the branch during collection.

The size and distance of the teeth can also be made for different types of berries. If the berries are large, for example, like strawberries, then the gap can be made large. Then almost all the foliage will fall, and the berries will remain in the bucket.

You can make a manual device yourself, but you need to take into account the berries that you will collect with it. Mechanical berry collectors, they are also combines, work faster and collect much more harvest.

The big plus is the simplification of the collection and the increase in the speed of work. Even self-made units will allow you to work several times faster, and in 7-8 hours a novice collector will be able to collect 12-15 kg. Very impressive numbers when compared to the bare-handed collection method.

Another plus is the low price. On average, berry pickers cost about 900 rubles. You can recoup this price on the first day or after several hours of work. You can make such a unit yourself, but for this you need to try.

The disadvantage of using the harvester is damage to berries and bushes. The thing is that when you pluck leaves and young branches along with berries, then you make the bush less fertile... Such a harsh method of plucking is bad for the next year's harvest. In addition, you litter with leaves and debris that falls to the ground from the branches.

All pickers are divided into three types: mechanical, manual and vacuum. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Industrial equipment for picking berries. By its structure, it differs into trailed and self-propelled harvesters.

• Trailed - units equipped with a hydraulic system.The basis of their work is the fan draft and the shaking system. And also special conveyors work, which will deliver the harvested berries to the sorting point. Features such as the adjustable chassis allow you to select different picking heights when the berries are at the tops of the bushes. To control such a combine, consoles have been developed - with their help, you can adjust the conveyor, chassis and hydraulic system.

• Self-propelled - have several types of traction, and their power can be up to 20 kV. Self-propelled models differ in that they can only work on those plantations for which they were created. For example, if such a harvester has a metal bucket and large teeth are located on it, then such a unit will be able to collect only large types of berries. If such a machine is intended for lingonberries, red currants and other small berries, then the gap between the teeth should be clearly smaller.

The advantage of mechanical devices for picking berries is that the grass and branches collected together with the berries do not fall to the ground, but are collected in special containers. Thus, there is no contamination of the environment.

Another advantage is that mechanical harvesters pick berries in one pass. This means that you will not need to process some shrubs a second time. The mechanism only needs to cut off the branch with berries once in order to collect everything. If the berries were grown according to the correct technologies, and by the appointed time of harvest they had time to fully ripen, then the volume of the crop harvested by the unit will be very large.

But such a universal type of equipment is quite expensive - from 1 to 9 million rubles. Therefore, you should not buy such equipment for a small area. For to recoup the amount spent, you need to use this unit for large volumes of work... As a rule, this technique is used on berry plantations, where a large area is planted with shrubs of various types.

Simple devices for private use or small production, the purpose of which is to sell berries.

Among the varieties of this instrument, you can see cheaper and more expensive copies. The Finnish berry collector is the quality standard in this area. In Finland, due to the temperature, the branches of the shrubs are tough, so the bins are made of hard materials. And also their teeth are of high quality. They are also hard and may have cutting elements. Their price is higher than that of simpler counterparts, but you can spend money for convenient berry picking. In addition, you can recoup the price pretty quickly.

Another unit can be called the type of berry collector "Beetle" with a shutter. A very cheap and easy option for those who rarely pick berries. The whole construction is made of plastic, which affects the price, but this makes the tool very light in weight. The shutter helps the berries not to fall out of the picker. The comb is made of soft materials that will not severely damage the branches of the bushes.

The disadvantage of such a tool is its low strength. Due to the fact that the material is plastic, the teeth can easily bend over thick branches, so it is advisable to use such a fruit picker for those berries that do not have strong branches. Of the structural features, special holes at the bottom of the device can be noted. They allow small leaves and various debris to fall out. Producers of "Beetle" with a shutter note that it is best for them to process bushes of lingonberry, cranberry, blueberry and other small berries.

You can also make a manual berry collector yourself. It is best to use a metal case, as it will make the future instrument more durable. First you need to cut out the body part. Then it is bent, creating a semblance of the letter "P".

After that, you will need to make a comb.The teeth themselves are also better made of durable material, since plastic teeth can spring the harvested berry several meters forward. It is advisable that all components of the homemade fruit picker are stainless steel. This will save the device, make it hygienic, since rust will not form, which, in turn, will not be able to get on the berries.

Teeth can be made from wire or small strips. Their thickness should not exceed 3 mm. After that, you will need to make a fixing bar on which the bucket will be held. The thickness of the timber should be about 10 mm, and holes should be drilled every 5 mm.

But you still need to make a handle. It is advisable to make it from soft wood so that there are no corns. It is the metal handles that are the disadvantage of purchased types of collections. They rub their fingers, and it is inconvenient to work with them for a long time. The handle can be made in the shape of the letter U or "G". This will make it convenient for you to use the tool. The base of the handle should be made of metal to keep everything solid. Then cut the handle to fit the metal base of the handle. Put it on and treat it with varnish so that there are no splinters and discomfort during work.

Some cut out a specially shaped handle for the palm. The wooden handle is made in the shape of a sea wave. In the middle is the highest part, and slightly in front and behind there are grooves for the fingers. This type of handle will fit nicely in your hand.

They are a special type of equipment for private use. This collector is perfect for those who have a small or medium-sized area. And also this thing is useful for those who know places in the forest where you can find a lot of berries. This unit will help to collect berries faster than a manual collector, because the operation of this device is based on an air duct.

A manipulator tube is connected to the duct, and a bell is installed at the end of this tube. At the end of the socket there are various nozzles that act as a comb.

The advantages include ease of use. The vacuum fruit collector is easy to carry thanks to the straps (similar to those found on the simplest backpack). And also this device is easy to operate.

It is worth noting the high speed of work. With this device, you can collect a large number of berries for sale. If mechanical fruit collectors are purchased for large plantations, then this unit can be used in the forest, where the number of bushes with berries is quite large.

The vacuum collector will help you pick berries of different sizes. In addition to berries, this machine helps to collect hazelnuts. Such high functionality is perfect for those who pick not only berries in the forest.

The structure consists of a 1.2 m long hose, a 7500 rpm motor (revolutions per minute), a container for berries with a volume of about 12-15 liters.

Choose according to the volume of your plot or forest in which you will pick berries. If you have plans to collect fruits only for eating or for jam, then you should not spend money and purchase a whole combine or vacuum collection. A simple hand tool will suffice.

It can also be customized for the types of berries you need. In fact, even with a manual unit, you can pick different types of berries. For example, if you have cranberries growing, then it is better to purchase an instrument in which the baffles are made of solid metal. Due to this feature, there will be no tangling of plants.

The vacuum collector will help you pick berries such as gooseberries, wild raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, currants, lingonberries, cranberries, sea buckthorn and many others. You can even pick hazelnuts.

Pay attention to the price too. A vacuum berry picker costs about $ 29,000.rubles and is intended for those who make harvesting their own business. Of course, it is worth remembering the price of a mechanical harvester, namely 1-9 million rubles. This is a high price for a medium-sized plot.

The berry harvester can be operated from the control panel. Here you can set the height, and the hydraulic system will raise the unit to the desired level. He himself will distribute the berries along the conveyor and send them to the fruit compartments.

Manual berry collector filters out leaves and debris using a flap, you will only need to put the fruits in a separate container after the entire compartment is full of berries. You need to move the tool up to collect the maximum berries and a minimum of leaves.

The vacuum type is easy to operate due to its simple design. Just place a pipe with a comb to the berries and he will clear them. Further, the fruits cleared of foliage and debris will go to a special compartment. Do not forget to keep an eye on it in order to transfer berries from it in time and gain more fruits.

How to make a harvester for picking berries with your own hands, see the video below.